City Council member Chi Ossé, aligned with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America, has recorded the lowest attendance among all council members, according to official records.
Ossé has been absent from four out of the 18 required legislative meetings without any valid excuses. In contrast, most of the 51 council members have perfect attendance during this session.
His attendance issues were publicly highlighted by fellow Democrat, Council member Oswald Feliz. “Your attendance record is quite telling: you have the *worst* attendance of all council members this session. And when you do attend meetings via Zoom, you leave as soon as you can,” Feliz jokingly commented.
This comment followed Ossé’s accusations against Feliz, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, claiming he was obstructing Ossé’s efforts to dissolve the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group—a target for activists seeking law enforcement reform.
Feliz later remarked, “It’s unfortunate that your focus seems to be more on flashy, performative actions for social media rather than tackling this important issue.”
Other council members with notable attendance issues include Darlene Mealy, who missed three out of 15 meetings, Rita C. Joseph, who also missed three out of 18, and Alexa Avilés, who has skipped two of 18. Interestingly, both Avilés and Ossé left a meeting on September 24 to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
Most other council members reported only one absence or none at all; it’s also worth noting that the numbers do not reflect absences due to understandable reasons like health issues or bereavement.
The 2026 attendance policy established by the council, circulated internally earlier in the year, does not specify a clear threshold for no-shows that would trigger disciplinary measures. However, it emphasizes that consistent attendance is a key responsibility. “Council Members must attend meetings in person unless unforeseen circumstances justify remote participation,” the policy states.
Absences at committee meetings, where legislation is initially discussed before being voted on by the entire council, are more frequently seen among members. Only four members currently boast a perfect attendance in committee meetings: Elsie Encarnacion, Justin Sanchez, Shantel Thomas-Henry, and Speaker Julie Menin, although Menin has only had to attend two meetings this session.
In terms of attendance percentages, James Gennaro recorded only 52.3%, Ty Hankerson attended 60%, and Althea Stevens attended 62.1% of meetings. Gennaro’s spokesperson mentioned that he has faced several health challenges in the past year, impacting his ability to attend.
“He has a strong history of chairing his own committee and attending Stated meetings,” the spokesperson shared. “However, he has had to prioritize medical appointments over some committee hearings.”
According to the council’s website, “Most of our legislative work happens in committee meetings and hearings, where we discuss proposed laws, receive updates from agencies, and hear feedback from New Yorkers.”
